Beginning Farmer and Rancher Development Program
Beginning farmer education for adult and young audiences in the United States can be generally traced back to the advent of the 1862 and the 1890 Morrill Land Grant Acts. But for the first time, the Food, Conservation, and Energy Act of 2008 (Pub .L. No. 110-234, Section 7410), appropriated $75 million for FY 2009 to FY 2012 to develop and offer education, training, outreach and mentoring programs to enhance the sustainability of the next generation of farmers. The Agriculture Act of 2014 provided an additional $20 million per year for 2014 through 2018. The reasons for the renewed interest in beginning farmer and rancher programs are: the rising average age of U.S. farmers, the 8% projected decrease in the number of farmers and ranchers between 2008 and 2018, and the growing recognition that new programs are needed to address the needs of the next generation of beginning farmers and ranchers.
General information about this opportunity
Last Known Status
Deleted 02/20/2016 (Archived.)
Program Number
USDA-NIFA-BFR-005436
Federal Agency/Office
Agency: Department of Agriculture
Office: National Institute of Food and Agriculture
Type(s) of Assistance Offered
Grant
Who is eligible to apply/benefit from this assistance?
Applicant Eligibility
Applications may only be submitted by a collaborative state, tribal, local, or regionally-based network or partnership of qualified public and/or private entities. These collaborations may include the following entities: State Cooperative Extension Services; Federal, State, or tribal agencies; community based organizations (CBOs); nongovernmental organizations (NGOs); junior and four-year colleges or universities or foundations maintained by a college or university; private for-profit organizations. Inclusion of beginning and/or non-beginning farmers and ranchers as part of the collaborative group is strongly encouraged. Applications submitted by individuals, or by organizations that do not involve other entities in a network or partnership, are not eligible for consideration under any category applicable to the BFRDP.
What is the process for applying and being award this assistance?
Deadlines
01/21/2016
Other Assistance Considerations
Formula and Matching Requirements
This program has cost sharing or matching requirements.
Who do I contact about this opportunity?
Headquarters Office
NIFA Help Desk
Phone: 202-401-5048
Business hours are M-F, 7:00 am -5:00 pm ET, excluding Federal holidays
Website Address
http://nifa.usda.gov/funding-opportunity/beginning-farmer-and-rancher-development-program-bfrdp
E-mail Address
electronic@nifa.usda.gov
Financial Information
Obligations
$18,000,000.00
